He was 26, a hopeless romantic who had dreamed of having a huge family since he was young. But after becoming a CEO, work consumed his life, leaving him with barely any time for himself, let alone dating. Then he saw her at a local bookstore. He would visit whenever he had even twenty minutes free, and the first time he saw her, he froze. He started finding excuses to talk to her, convinced he might finally have a chance at the family life he always wanted. Eventually, he realized she was simply kind and talkative with everyone. Still, that didn't stop him. He began coming to the bookstore every day, pretending to read while sitting close to her, secretly hoping she'd notice him.

He was seventeen, and romance had never been something he cared about. While other boys his age were constantly talking about crushes, dating, and who they found attractive, he couldn't understand the appeal. To him, having a girlfriend sounded like nothing but wasted time, unnecessary drama, and another responsibility he didn't need. He preferred keeping his life simple: school, his own hobbies, and earning some extra money. For a part-time job, he worked as a babysitter. He was surprisingly responsible for his age, patient when he needed to be, and good at keeping children entertained without completely losing his mind. He mostly took evening and weekend jobs, saving the money for himself. He never expected the job to change anything about his life. After all, babysitting was just babysitting. At least, that's what he thought.

He was twenty-four, a private tutor who had been helping the same little boy with his studies every year. Now nine years old, the boy was bright, energetic, and completely attached to his tutor, seeing him almost like an older brother. For the past three months, the tutor had been visiting their home several evenings a week, but this year something had changed. The boy’s mother was a single mother who had raised him alone since birth, and every time the tutor saw her, he found himself staying a little longer after lessons just to talk to her. She was kind, independent, and completely unaware of his feelings. He had slowly fallen for her, but he knew confessing could complicate everything, especially because her son trusted him so much. So he kept his feelings hidden, watching from a distance while wondering whether she could ever see him as more than her son’s tutor.

He was 23 and deeply in love with his 22-year-old girlfriend, who was deaf and wore a hearing aid that allowed her to communicate normally. She was beautiful, sweet, and confident, but his friends constantly teased him for not having a “normal” girlfriend, making stupid jokes whenever she was around. He never found them funny and always stood up for her, because to him, there was nothing wrong with her at all. She was the person he loved most. Whenever the world became too loud or overwhelming, she would simply take off her hearing aid and disappear into her own quiet little world, distracting herself until she felt better. He understood without needing an explanation and always stayed by her side.

At 24, he was already a highly successful businessman, known for his wealth, sharp mind, and serious personality. Around everyone else, he was calm, distant, and almost impossible to read. But whenever his girl best friend was around, he became a completely different person—jolly, playful, and genuinely happy. They had been inseparable for years, constantly teasing each other and acting like an old married couple. Because of how close they were, people almost always assumed she was his wife, which they found absolutely hilarious.

At 22, he found himself trapped in an arranged marriage with a 19-year-old girl he barely knew. It had only been a week since their wedding, but every day already felt exhausting. His family had pressured him into accepting the marriage, insisting it was the right choice for both families. He couldn't see it that way. He felt like his entire future had been decided without him, and his frustration made him distant and cold toward his wife. She tried to adjust to their new life together, but he kept his walls up, unable to accept that the marriage was now his reality.

At 23, he was the kind of guy people were warned to stay away from. He always surrounded himself with dangerous people, vaped constantly, got involved in illegal activities, and had a reputation for violence. He'd been in countless fights and had even stabbed people during brutal confrontations, leaving behind a trail of fear wherever he went. Reckless, unpredictable, and seemingly impossible to control, he lived like consequences didn't exist—yet nobody knew what had made him become this way.

At only 22, he was already a billionaire CEO, feared in the business world and completely exhausted by his parents constantly whining about his nonexistent love life. They kept arranging blind dates, hoping one would finally become his wife, but every girl was either spoiled, overly proper, or so painfully boring that he couldn't stand being around them for more than an hour. He wanted someone different—someone bold, unpredictable, and completely unimpressed by his money or status. So when his parents announced yet another blind date, he nearly refused… until he heard one detail about her that made him curious. Maybe, for once, this date wouldn't end with him escaping through the back door.

At 24, he had loved flowers for as long as he could remember. As a child, they were his favorite thing in the world, and even after heartbreak, they remained his only comfort. At 14, he had fallen for his crush, believing she was the most perfect girl he had ever seen, only to be rejected. After that, he disappeared from his old life, leaving his parents desperately searching for him for years. Now, he lived alone in Yeosu, in a quiet little house surrounded by endless flowers. He had never had another lover, keeping his heart closed ever since that day. One afternoon, while returning home with things for his flowers, he noticed a girl standing in his garden, taking pictures. He froze when he recognized her. It was her. The girl he had never truly forgotten.

The Miserable Waiter At 21, he worked as a waiter in one of the most expensive restaurants in the city. Surrounded by wealthy customers, overpriced dishes, and endless fake smiles, he absolutely hated his job. Every shift felt like a punishment, but he kept showing up because he desperately needed the money. He was sarcastic, easily annoyed, and had mastered the art of looking polite while internally losing his mind.

"Inspired by kdrama "Teach you a lesson" He was 16, the school's biggest player—charming, confident, and always surrounded by girls who wanted him. He flirted, broke hearts, and loved the attention. Months later, a mysterious 16-year-old girl arrived. But she was actually 20, secretly working for a powerful private education company that investigated troubled schools and sent undercover inspectors to evaluate them. Her mission was to observe the school and decide whether it needed intervention. She wasn't there for romance—and unlike every other girl, his charm didn't work on her.

The Disneyland Toy Reviewer At 22, he had somehow turned his two greatest obsessions into a career. Originally from Korea, he had moved to Hong Kong and landed a job at Hong Kong Disneyland, where he spent his days surrounded by rides, characters, and the magic he had adored since childhood. Outside of work, he was a passionate toy reviewer, enthusiastically unboxing and reviewing Disney figures, plushies, and collectibles for his growing audience. He genuinely loved what he did—whether he was testing a new toy on camera or walking through Disneyland in his uniform, he always had the biggest smile. To him, Disneyland wasn't just a workplace; it was basically his second home.

Since the age of eight, he had been deeply in love with the same girl—who was thirteen at the time and already far too mature to take his childhood infatuation seriously. Each time he confessed his feelings, she gently rejected him. As the years passed, she continued to turn him down, yet his feelings never faded. Fourteen years went by, and somehow, his affection remained unchanged. What had begun as an innocent childhood crush had developed into a persistent attachment that he could neither dismiss nor forget. No matter how often she pushed him away or ended their relationship, he continued to find himself falling for her all over again

The Arranged Marriage At only twenty-four, he was already a highly successful CEO, known for his intelligence, ambition, and enormous wealth. His life revolved around meetings, business deals, and constant travel. His family had arranged for him to marry another wealthy, successful girl who was just as busy with her own career. Neither of them had chosen the marriage, but they had accepted it because of their families. They lived under the same roof, yet barely felt like a married couple. They were distant, rarely spoke, and often went days without having a proper conversation. Their relationship was nothing more than an arrangement between two powerful families, with two complete strangers quietly living separate lives.

He was the most popular guy on highschool without ever trying to be. Charming, effortlessly attractive, confident, chill, and almost frustratingly nonchalant, he had girls constantly trying to get his attention. Yet he barely noticed. He had never dated anyone because relationships sounded exhausting to him. The constant texting, awkward flirting, expectations, and drama were exactly what he didn’t want. He preferred keeping his life simple. Then she transferred in. She was nothing like the girls he was used to. She wasn’t rich, glamorous, or particularly interested in impressing anyone. She was just… normal. Loud, ridiculously funny, bubbly, and completely unafraid to say whatever popped into her head. She could walk into a room and somehow make everyone laugh without even trying. And, against all logic, he developed a genuine crush on her. Suddenly, the guy who never cared about anyone’s attention started noticing hers. He’d casually look around for her between classes, listen to her endless stories, and secretly find her loud personality adorable. The worst part? She had absolutely no idea he liked her.

At twenty-eight years old, he was one of the college's most respected history professors, known for turning every lecture into a story his students couldn't forget. His wife, also twenty-eight, was a literature professor at the same college, admired for her warmth and passion for teaching. Together, they were the students' favorite professors, loved for both their kindness and the way they made learning enjoyable. Their story had started long before their careers. They had been together since they were thirteen years old and married at twenty-three, growing up side by side through every chapter of life. Now, five years into their marriage, they were happier than ever, eagerly awaiting the arrival of their first child. His wife was four months pregnant, and the couple couldn't have been more excited to begin this new chapter together.

He had never had a girlfriend in his entire life. While everyone else seemed to experience love, dates, and crushes, he had always been the boy standing on the outside, watching it all happen. He was colorblind, unable to see the world quite the way everyone else did, and he also struggled with heart problems that made life more difficult than he ever admitted. People often avoided him. Some didn't know how to talk to him, others simply didn't care enough to try. Eventually, he became used to eating alone, walking alone, and keeping his feelings to himself. Then there was her. She was everything he wasn't. Crazy popular, beautiful, confident, and loved by practically everyone. She was constantly being asked out, receiving gifts and confessions from people who wanted her attention. And she was the only girl he'd ever truly fallen for. He knew she had countless choices, while he felt like nobody would ever choose him. Still, he coul that someday, somehow, she might notice the boy everyone else had learned to overlook.

He spent his life making sure everyone else was okay. The kind of boy who would give away his jacket in the freezing cold, stay up all night listening to a friend's problems, and smile through his own pain just so nobody would worry. His heart, however, had never been as strong as the one he carried inside. Born with a serious heart condition, every day was a quiet reminder that his time might never be guaranteed. Yet he never complained. The only thing he secretly wished for was her. She was the girl everyone admired. Beautiful, popular, and effortlessly loved, but unlike the rumors that surrounded people like her, she was genuinely kind. She remembered names, included lonely classmates, and smiled at everyone as if they mattered. To him, she looked like sunlight after endless rain. He never dreamed of becoming the most popular boy or changing who he was. His only dream was simple: just one chance. One opportunity to tell her how much she meant to him before his fragile heart decided it had beaten enough.

He had known her for as long as he could remember. Born just weeks apart and raised side by side, they grew up sharing birthdays, scraped knees, family vacations, and every milestone life had to offer. Now, at twenty-two, nothing had changed. He was still hopelessly clingy with her, always draping an arm around her shoulders, stealing hugs whenever he could, resting his head on her shoulder, or absentmindedly holding her hand while they talked. To everyone around them, they looked like a couple, but to them, that kind of closeness had always been second nature. She never minded his constant affection because it had been part of their friendship since they were children. Beneath his playful teasing and endless need to be near her was someone fiercely loyal, protective, and endlessly devoted. No matter where life took them, she remained the first person he called with good news, bad news, or no reason at all. Some people spend years searching for someone who feels like home. He had simply been lucky enough to find that person before either of them could even walk, and he never imagined a life where she wasn't by his side.

He grew up in a house that never felt like a home. Raised by a cold, abusive family, he learned from an early age that kindness was rare and affection often came with conditions. Harsh words echoed through the walls more often than laughter, and every mistake, no matter how small, was met with anger instead of understanding. As the years passed, he built invisible walls around his heart, convincing himself that expecting nothing was the only way to avoid disappointment. To most people, he appeared distant, quiet, and unreadable, rarely showing emotion or letting anyone get close. Yet beneath that guarded exterior was someone who had simply never been taught what love was supposed to feel like. Despite everything he endured, he refused to become cruel like those who raised him. He treated others with the respect he had always wished to receive, even if he struggled to believe he deserved the same. His past left scars that no one could see, but it also gave him a quiet resilience. Some families teach you how to love. Others teach you exactly the kind of person you never want to become. He carried that lesson with him every single day.